Exercise is more about our brain chemistry than our waist line.​Shifting our view of exercise away from having a better reflection in the mirror to having a more productive brain is one of the best things we can do in our life. God bought these bodies with the precious blood of Jesus and it’s our responsibility to steward them to the best of our ability. One of the best ways to do that is with regular exercise which produces Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factors (BDNF) which, in turn, helps grow new, healthy neurons. This helps naturally balance our endorphins and assists in having a focused mind each day.

Our body is not our own: God bought our body with a high price, His only begotten Son. That means our bodies have an extremely high value, we have to treat them like they do. So just like you would take great care of a car you’re borrowing from a friend, use that passion and more to take care of your body by resting and getting regular exercise.

Our emotions do not define us: The emotions Jesus felt as He carried the cross for our sins didn’t cause Him to stop even though I am sure it was extremely tempting. He decided to press through the momentary pain for the joy set before Him. Like Jesus we have to keep our eyes fixed on the end goal and not allow the emotional pain of progress cause us to quit. Although not on the same level of importance as the road to the cross, Next time you look at a treadmill or a plate of chicken and broccoli remind yourself of this as you think of the end result.

The thrill of getting ahead can ruin our health: If you’re a workaholic like me, this is a tough one. I personally love the thrill of opening my email to take on my day. But if I let that thrill of getting ahead control my life, I end up working days that are way too long, skipping my time allotted for exercise, and then I find myself too tired to wake up and have my devotion time with the Lord that next morning. It’s a dangerous trap and will eventually ruin the health of our body, mind and spirit.

You are literally one workout away from a better mood and more creativity: There was a recent article from the British Journal of Sports Medicine, published in The U.S. National Library of Medicine, that found a person’s mood and creativity are improved after exercise; running, in particular, greatly boosted a person’s mood. As people leading the way in your city for Jesus, improved creativity and an improved mood are crucial to all of us. Remember, the enemy let out a sigh of relief when we finally leave the earth.

Words drive your body: In a study of elite sprinters, the runners spoke certain words to themselves at certain times: “push” during the acceleration phase of the sprint, “heel” during the maximum-speed phase, and “claw” during the endurance phase. When they used these words, the athletes ran faster. So when the going gets tough, choose to speak God’s word over your life. You can practice this weekly on a treadmill when you’re tempted to end your workout early.